Trump admits depicting Obamas as apes racist but insists no apology

U.S. President Donald Trump

Trump admits depicting Obamas as apes racist but insists no apology

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump stated Friday night that he will not apologize for a social media post featuring racist imagery of Barack and Michelle Obama, attributing the incident to a staffer’s oversight rather than a personal lapse in judgment.

The post, which remained live until Friday afternoon, featured a video promoting 2020 election fraud claims. It concluded with a segment superimposing the former President and First Lady’s faces onto cartoon apes, set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

The “Staff Error” Defense

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump claimed he only watched the beginning of the video before handing it off to his team.

“I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine,” Trump said. “It was really about voter fraud… and the machines. Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they’d look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t, and they posted.”

While Trump acknowledged that the content was racist and said he “of course” condemns it, he remained firm on his own culpability: “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”

Bipartisan Condemnation

The imagery, shared during Black History Month, sparked immediate and sharp criticism from within the Republican party:

* Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.): The Senate’s only Black Republican called the post “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”

* Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.): Labeled the post “wrong and incredibly offensive,” demanding a formal apology regardless of whether the post was intentional.

* Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah): Criticized the White House for the delay in removal, calling the content “blatantly racist and inexcusable.”

Shifting White House Narratives

The explanation for the post evolved throughout the day. Initially, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the video as a “meme depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle,” dismissing the backlash as “fake outrage.” However, a separate White House official later confirmed to NBC News that the post was made in error and removed.

This incident is the latest in a series of controversies involving Trump’s use of manipulated or AI-generated media to target political rivals. Representatives for the Obamas have not yet released a formal statement.